Ukrainian pleads guilty after flight disruption

Monday March 31, 2014 7:00 PM

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A 47-year-old Ukrainian man who told the FBI he had been drinking heavily for 50 days before causing a ruckus on a flight to Salt Lake City has pleaded guilty to interfering with a flight crew as part of a deal with prosecutors.

Anatoliy Baranovich, of Portland, Ore., is due back in court June 25 for sentencing in the October 2012 incident.

He could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Baranovich told authorities he had been drinking heavily in his native Ukraine before returning to the United States. Authorities say he woke up as the plane was descending, began yelling in Russian and damaged the fuselage trying to open the rear door.

Authorities say he offered money to federal agents to let him go. They found 19 passports in his luggage.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

A Ukrainian man who told the FBI he had been drinking heavily for 50 days before causing a ruckus on a flight to Salt Lake City is scheduled to appear in federal court Monday, where he's expected to take a plea deal.

Anatoliy Baranovich of Portland, Ore., yelled in Russian about a wing being on fire and tried to open an emergency door on the Delta Air Lines flight from Boston in October 2012, an FBI affidavit said.

He is charged with damaging an aircraft, interfering with a flight crew, trying to bribe federal agents and resisting arrest. He has pleaded not guilty. It's unclear what deal Baranovich struck with prosecutors.

Baranovich told authorities he traveled to Ukraine to build a house, but began getting drunk when he was unable to begin construction.

"I never sobered up," Baranovich told an FBI investigator after the incident.

He continued drinking as he flew from Ukraine to Amsterdam and on to Boston. He was asleep during most of the flight to Salt Lake City but awoke as the plane was descending and began yelling in Russian that he thought the wing was on fire, prosecutors say in charging documents.

After the plane landed, Baranovich ran to the back and tried to pry open the exit door as flight attendants yelled at him to stop. The door jammed and caused an emergency inflatable slide to malfunction, which caused "extensive damage" to the plane's fuselage, the FBI said.

Several passengers tried to wrestle Baranovich to the ground while he attempted to open another emergency exit door. One passenger forced him to the ground and held him until the plane taxied to a gate, where law enforcement and medical personnel had been called.

Baranovich offered federal agents $6,500 to let him go, according to an indictment.

Officials said they don't believe Baranovich, who was carrying a Ukrainian passport and U.S. visa, posed a terrorist threat.

Investigators found 19 passports in Baranovich's luggage, including 16 for women, ranging in age from their 20s to their early 30s. Authorities said they were investigating why he had those in his luggage, but haven't publicly disclosed what they found.

About 10TV

WBNS-TV’s on-line public inspection file can be found on the FCC website at 10tv.com/fcc. Individuals with disabilities may contact Becky Richey at pubfile@10tv.com or 614.460.3785 for assistance with access to the WBNS-TV public inspection files.